We love our 2003 Focus ZX5, which has been ultra-reliable and still drives well; our only serious complaint is the front seats, which we can never adjust enough to be really comfortable--unlike our 1998 Contour, which had great seats.

So when it came time this fall to replace the Contour we looked at the 2008 & 2009 Focus first. However, it was virtually impossible to find a Focus in the SF Bay Area with antilock brakes--a requirement for us and an option our 2003 had. I looked at dealer stock on the Net, and found only a couple of Foci with ABS, and they were tricked out with all manner of other options (air foil, anyone?--looks silly on a Focus).

Why does Ford think ABS is an option only a very few will want? This isn't 1990... and Ford lost the sale because of its miscalculation.

ABS is bundled with stability control this year and is a great bargain as a result.

I was lucky enough to find ABS on an otherwise "stripped" Cobalt for one of my two commuter cars, but couldn't find ABS on a lightly optioned Focus (which I purchased as my other car).

Dealers have told me that customers have asked them to dealer trade Focii and Cobalts to find one WITHOUT the ABS just to save a couple of bucks. But seldom do this when the money went into alloy wheels or an upgraded stereo system.

Unfortunately only a few of us, plus the IIHS, seem to value our safety...

It's not too hard to find a Focus SE with ABS/ESC although most are automatics and not manuals. Those run around $15K with the current employee pricing promotion.

I was looking online for a family member and found a Focus S with AT and ABS/ESC in the Albuquerque NM area. Those I admit are harder to find and run about $1000 less than an SE. But most probably want electric windows, doors, mirrors, etc.

If you want to be a good consumer, you've got to do the final "OTD" calculations yourself. You know the tax rate, you can calculate license fees, you know if your state allows dealers to impose "fake" "document" fees (fees for processing your DMV registration etc.). On a board like this, most of us deal with MSRP and discounts from MSRP, otherwise there are too many moving pieces to deal with.

Keep in mind that those same moving pieces are what give a dealer an edge. A lot of consumers don't know what rebates are available (research the manufacturer's website or Edmunds, here), don't know what options cost (options add up quickly on any car), and don't know what they are looking for. The internet is an amazing tool to do a lot of research. For example, in your post, you don't say - automatic or manual; options; packages. Those have an impact on how many competitve cars you can shop. If you go to fordvehicles.com, you can "build" a car on line and search dealer inventory within up to a 50 or 100 mile radius, then look at the window stickers. Print out the ones that look good, then email the dealer than has one you like (email several dealers) and ask for a quote - ask for MSRP (which you know, but ask anyway), rebates, and dealer discount. Ask what the OTD price would be with no trade. That is a good starting point.

While websites like this are a useful source of information, the car market is SO volatile right now that you shouldn't rely on last month's or even necessarily last week's deal. Also one dealer may be high, and another low. It's better to send out four or five emails and comparison shop. Dealers are desperate for business and will generally not waste your time these days.

Thank you very much. I did some research myself and got some quotes, let me show you some math. These days Ford Focus has employee price and I am looking for a 2009 Ford Focus SE Sedan with MSRP $18,500, which has automatic transaxle, SYNC system and driver's group.

If I'm not mistaken you didn't include the destination charge on your invoice calculation which in turn affects the numbers you provided. May not find a dealer that accepts the low ball figure, more realistic to shoot for the target price which is probably $15,185 or so.

$14,724 as a sales price sounds great. I don't think you want to take the FMCC loan, currently 9.9% with good credit, unless you want to re-fi with a credit union after the 3 months lock in period necessary to get the rebate. Credit union rates are currently around 5%.

Check the web for the actual "employee pricing" price. The dealer should be willing to knock off another $1000. The employee pricing from what I've seen, by itself, isn't really that great, but coupled with a dealer discount, plus the rebates, is a great deal. You didn't mention dealer discount in your post and I'm not sure if it's already included in what you call the "employee pricing" price. The employee pricing price should be viewed as the new MSRP, in other words, not as the final discount.

On the other hand the $12,377 price you are aiming for is absurdly low. If you can get it, or even anywhere close, you've hit an incredible home run.

Make sure you are happy with the car, by the way. It's not JUST about the price. Shop for a comparable Toyota (Corolla) and Honda (Civic) just to find out what they are charging now. That's the best way to know what kind of deal you have.

Yes, it just reflects a slow market with more test drives required to sell the car. I wouldn't worry if it's an automatic, they are hard to hurt during test drives. If it's a stick shift, it should be ok if the people test driving knew how to drive stick shifts....

Even during good times the Focus was a 4000-5000 off msrp auto. A 2008 focus with a msrp of about 18500 has a kelly blue book trade in value of about 11000 with average miles. This is what your 2009 will be worth in 12 months. Even for 16000, they are hardly giving it away.

If they are talking 3000 or so off go see the mazda dealer. The mazda3 is judged best in its class year after year. The focus not so. You should be able to get an equivalent mazda3 for 16000 or less, and much more car. (i touring value edition auto) Compare them for yourself. Perhaps the Nissan Versa or Sentra would be next, Next the Hyundai Sonata (much more car for about the same price, and 2x the warranty.

Especially when you consider the wildcard of the Doestics financial viability. There is nothing compelling about a Focus now at less than $5000 off.

I have a fully loaded 2008 "SES" Focus as well as a 2008 Mazda 3, And I have to say the Focus wins hands down in every category when compared to the M-3! The heated leather seats are comfy, The 500 watt Audiophile stereo sounds like a concert hall, the traction control is great here in Wisconsin on our sheet ice roads (I haven't slipped once) The handling of the Focus is A#1 drives like its on rails!. I had to order my Focus built at the factory as I wanted a 5 speed transmission the car has much better pickup with the manual in it in fact, I raced my fast driveing wife in the Focus and I beat her easy! She was driveing the M-3. All and all, the Focus at least for me was a much better value then the M-3.

OK, the enthusiast magazines/sites like the Mazda 3 -- good handling, fun to drive. But is that what all car buyers want?

For my brother, he wanted a decent car that was inexpensive and had ESC. You can get ESC in any '09 Focus, even a stripped Focus S with crank up windows. So he ended up getting a Focus SE with ESC for under $15K.

Want ESC in a Mazda 3? Sorry, you need to buy the higher trim car. Same with Civic. Same with Cobalt.

Want ESC in a Versa or a Sentra? Sorry, not available.

So if certain safety features are important to a buyer, and if cost is a factor, then the Mazda 3 does not compete well with the Focus.

When rating cars, car magazines/websites tend to emphasive acceleration, dynamic handling, and how fun a car is to drive. But many buyers are more concerned with how noisy a car is (big factor if you have a long commute); or how good the stereo system is; or how large the trunk is; or whether safety features are available; or whether it gets good gas mileage; or whether a dealer is readily available; or whether the car is considered reliable; or whether the car is assembled in the USA by Union labor; and so on.

"Best in class" means different things to different people. The Mazda 3 might be "best in class" for handling, but it certainly does not have "best in class" mileage; in fact, the sportier models have poor mileage for the class.

We owned a Mazda, and we liked it a lot. I have nothing against Mazdas, except I probably wouldn't get one now because there isn't a dealer within 100 miles of us.

Last point: we tried out a Versa (which I liked) when we were car shopping -- but my wife found the seating position uncomfortable, so we crossed that one off our list. Because of that bad front seat for my wife, it didn't matter at all to us that some car magazine rated it as "better" some other cars in its class.

I purchased a 2008 Focus SE last week. It is a program car, with about 11,000 miles on it. It was late in the evening, nearly dark, when I test drove the vehicle. The dealer had 4 to choose from. I chose the one with the lowest mileage. It is an automatic transmission.

When I drove it, about 6 miles on freeway and off, it seemed to do just fine. After much discussion, we came to an agreed upon price of $10,900. All paper work completed, and late in the day by then, it was dark outside. The dealer put a dealer tag on it and told me to come back the next day to get the car detailed and have the window paper license tag put on it. So, I go back and they give me a car identical to the one I purchased to use as a loaner to get about town that day.

After driving the loaner car that day, it occured to me it handled differently in the way the automatic transmission shifted. It shifted smoothly and in a timely manner. The one I purchased did not, the engine was nearly screaming at 60 mph on the freeway. I do not drive over the speed limit if I can help it.

I called the dealership and discussed this with them. They tell me that someone will drive the car I purchased with me inside, and then the loaner vehicle (it had 15,000 miles on it). When I get back, no one has time, but I was told the car I purchased was working just fine. I was told that every car senses the driver driving habits, and it shifts like it should according to the driver????? WHAT?? Did I suddenly become an idiot? I don't drive like an idiot.

So I get in it to drive back home, about 30 miles, and the transmission still does not shift correctly. The engine is still screaming at 60 mph.

Here I sit, hating the car, the dealership, and the entire experience. Being a female of 55 years, it appears I made a bad mistake. Thanks FORD. As soon as I can get rid of this car, I will NEVER walk into a Ford dealer lot again. Nor will I ever purchase another Ford.

And has anyone ever heard of something this ridiculous in their life? Has anyone had an experience with the automatic transmission in the 2008 Focus acting up?

Take the vehicle to another ford dealer under warranty. Drive it with them and tell them you think the tranny won't shift into 4th gear. They will run the diagnostics on it etc and get it fixed.

Hating the dealership etc isn't really fruitful. So many people have complaints with Toyota,Ford,Honda dealerships etc it all cancels out. The dealers are independent franchises and not directly related to the manufacturer. Even Saturn and Scion dealerships get the same complaints.

Don't know what being dark when you drove means, but if so you were fortunate there were no cosmetic problems, as they aren't covered by warranty. You can get the tranny fixed at one of the dealers, get a loaner car, etc.

Looks like you got a decent price, its got 5yr/60000 mi power train. Enjoy the car

Good luck--jjf

I purchased a 2008 Focus SE last week. It is a program car, with about 11,000 miles on it. It was late in the evening, nearly dark, when I test drove the vehicle. The dealer had 4 to choose from. I chose the one with the lowest mileage. It is an automatic transmission.

When I drove it, about 6 miles on freeway and off, it seemed to do just fine. After much discussion, we came to an agreed upon price of $10,900. All paper work completed, and late in the day by then, it was dark outside. The dealer put a dealer tag on it and told me to come back the next day to get the car detailed and have the window paper license tag put on it. So, I go back and they give me a car identical to the one I purchased to use as a loaner to get about town that day.

After driving the loaner car that day, it occured to me it handled differently in the way the automatic transmission shifted. It shifted smoothly and in a timely manner. The one I purchased did not, the engine was nearly screaming at 60 mph on the freeway. I do not drive over the speed limit if I can help it.

I called the dealership and discussed this with them. They tell me that someone will drive the car I purchased with me inside, and then the loaner vehicle (it had 15,000 miles on it). When I get back, no one has time, but I was told the car I purchased was working just fine. I was told that every car senses the driver driving habits, and it shifts like it should according to the driver????? WHAT?? Did I suddenly become an idiot? I don't drive like an idiot.

So I get in it to drive back home, about 30 miles, and the transmission still does not shift correctly. The engine is still screaming at 60 mph.

Here I sit, hating the car, the dealership, and the entire experience. Being a female of 55 years, it appears I made a bad mistake. Thanks FORD. As soon as I can get rid of this car, I will NEVER walk into a Ford dealer lot again. Nor will I ever purchase another Ford.

And has anyone ever heard of something this ridiculous in their life? Has anyone had an experience with the automatic transmission in the 2008 Focus acting up?

My tranny went out this week on my 185k mile '02 Subaru WRX. It's used up, and not worth putting over $2,000 into a new transmission. I wasn't ready to buy a new vehicle yet, but needed to. I called a Hyundai dealer where I purchased a Sonata for my wife last summer and asked what the cheapest car with air they had. He said he can do an Accent with power windows and door locks and air for $11k plus tax and license.

Yesterday morning, and again today, I saw an ad from Villa Ford in Orange CA for an '09 Focus SE Coupe for $10,988, broken down this way:Sale Price $13,488Fact Rebate $2,000Ford Cred Reb $500

The ad said they had 2 at this price; I called them just after 9am and both were still available, in silver and dark blue. I was down there by 10, drove the silver one, and took it.

Final price was $12,778 out the door (sticker price was $16,875). I didn't take the $500 Ford Credit rebate, since I'm on the board of a small employee owned credit union (even though Ford Credit could beat our rate).

The good news is I beat our 1% sales tax increase that takes effect April 1, and I got a great value compared to even what I'd get in a Hyundai, let alone comparing it to Honda, Toyota, and Nissan.

Additionally, this car isn't made in Mexico as I thought, it was made at the Wayne Assembly Plant. One car won't make or break Ford or the employees of that plant, but I'm glad I could do a little bit for Ford, who I consider the best of the domestic automakers and for the people of Michigan.

i bought a new basic focus for 9500$ in nov 2006...my wife qualified for the first time buyer discount...it is very roomy and 39k miles later it still runs great...i also work at a place that makes transmission parts for the focus and f-150

You want about 4500-5000 off a 09 Focus this time of year. Not much more than previous years. So no rip roaring bad economy deals unless you exceed this by much.

Anything less than that and you are better off getting 5-10 bids on a 09 M3. Bigger interior dimensions and a much better auto all around, even if a thousand or so more. That said may be worth it even if $5000 off the Focus. The M3 sells for about 3k off msrp, putting a nice i touring value edition with alloys and auto in the 15k range or less.

Also the 09 Hyundai Elantra gls auto for 13-14k-ish before the Focus but still behind the M3.

Do yourself a favor and DO NOT BUY A FORD FOCUS.....................they have trouble with the TRANSMISSIONS...............I had 38 thousand miles and took it to a Dealer as the engine light came on and the car was jerking they said it was a selenoid replaced it to the tuneof $500.00+ and it did the same thing now they say it is the transmission.........................Just don't do it.........................

I'm just starting my research on purchasing an 09 Focus SE coupe - with Auto Transmission + the ABS option - and I want the dealer to throw in the floor mats and cargo mat for free. I'm a current Ford driver, and my family has bought 4 cars from the same dealer over the past 22 years, so ideally I can use that as leverage. My current car is a 1990 Probe - less thank 50K on it. I will be paying cash - what is a good OTD price for the NYC/Long Island area?